


Take My Hand

by MagicalStranger13



Category: Strange Magic (2015)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-30
Updated: 2015-05-21
Packaged: 2018-03-26 10:24:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3847390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagicalStranger13/pseuds/MagicalStranger13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Now that Marianne and the Bog King are courting, the fairy princess visits the Dark Forest all the time for adventures.  But what happens when she tries to get Bog to come with her to the Fariy Kingdom in broad daylight?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> YAY! Another 100 hits! Here's the new story and it's a two-parter! Hope you enjoy!

Bog’s mouth pulled into a pleased grin as he heard the _swish_ of Marianne’s wings entering the throne room.  He set aside the scroll he’d been examining and opened his arms wide for her.

She crashed into his lap with an- _Oof!_ -and a playful snicker.

“Hey you.”  He greeted, nuzzling her brown hair. 

“Hey.”  She smiled back and traced a finger over one of his breast plates.  “So what’s on the agenda for today?” 

For the past few months, whenever they had some extra free time, Marianne would recruit Bog as her official Dark Forest adventure guide.  She was determined to see and experience everything this mysterious place had to offer.  She’d only dreamed of it her whole life!

“Hmm, well yesterday we went mud-skippin’.  I showed ye the silver mine last week.  I could take ye frog huntin', but the best spots are pretty far south east.  There’s the canopy, the dippin’ pond, the cypress grove.  It’s really yer call, Tough Girl.  Whatever ye want.”

The princess thought for a moment, before her dark eyes gleamed with inspiration.

“I got it!”  She exclaimed, jumping off Bog’s lap and tugging him to his feet.  “We’re gonna do something totally different this time!”

“Oh?” The Bog King asked, genuinely intrigued by her sudden fire.  “What’s that?”

But she just shook her head at him and beckoned with a finger, already zipping away to the throne room’s main exit.  

“It’s a surprise!  Follow me!”

* * *

“Marianne, where exactly are we goin’?”  Bog called with slight apprehension. 

They’d been flying through the Dark Forest’s thick cluster of trees and shrubbery at a fierce pace for the past twenty minutes.  Their current direction was taking them straight to the primrose border, _fast_.

“You’ll see!  C’mon, hurry!”

The mid-day light from the open Fairy Kingdom ahead was getting brighter and brighter by the second. 

Bog felt a sliver of dread growing inside him at a similar rate.

“Wait!  Marianne, wait a minute!”

“What?”  She quipped, oblivious to the subtle distress in his tone.  “Am I going too _fast_ for you, _old_ man?”

“No!  Marianne, slow down!”

The light was now glaring.  He could see a few of those pink (still-loathed) blossoms coming into clearer view.        

“We’re almost there!  Try and keep up, slow-poke!”

“ _Marianne_!”

Despite his rising anxiety, he refused to stop his persual.  If _she_ kept going, he _had_ to follow.

A brief flash of purple shielded him for the shortest of moments, then all was white.

“ ** _MARIAAAAAAAAANNE_**!!!”

The fairy warrior immediately flapped to a sharp halt.

Marianne had heard Bog say her name many times in the recent months.  She’d heard him growl it in annoyance when she would sometimes tease him.  She’d heard him shout it in frustration when she’d managed to get the better of him during their many sparring matches.  She’d heard him ask it gently when needing her attention or advice.  She’d even heard him moan it in her ear during their times of lustful passion.

But she had _never_ heard him say her name _that_ way before.

With such heightened fear and desperation.

She had _never_ heard him _scream_ that way at _all_.

And _that_ frightened _her_.

Whirling around, Marianne was stunned to see how much distance had come between her and her consort.

A good few yards of flower-dotted grass separated them.  She was _sure_ he had been right on her heels!

She released a breath of initial relief when she saw that he didn’t appear to be in any sort of mortal peril.  He was simply hovering in place, a mere arm’s reach away from the Dark Forest’s tree line.  He hadn’t been snagged, nor was anything attacking him.

However, upon further inspection, she could read the signs of his unease:

Though his wings were still keeping him airborne, the rest of his body was oddly still.  He was clutching his staff with both hands like a terrified child would clutch a rag doll.  His head was bowed and, despite how far away he was, she could hear him breathing; shuddering and heavy.

It was only once he started steadily losing altitude that her wings finally decided to listen to her brain and _go_ to him.

As she approached, she became even more alarmed once she realized that the rate of his descent was much too fast, if he wanted to land smoothly.  The rock below him might be flat, but it was _still_ a _rock_. 

She reached him just as he touched down.  The ball-end of his staff clanged hard against the stone.  Her hands automatically shot out to steady him when he stumbled, as she knew he would, but she was _not_ expecting what happened next. 

Bog let out a strangled cry of panic and flinched away from her touch, head whipping around as if searching for the source of some unseen danger.

“Bog?”  She asked, now very nervous herself.  “What is it?”

He didn’t answer, he just kept trembling, panting and weakly struggling against her repeated attempts to hold him.  Even though his eyes would randomly meet hers as he squirmed, it was as if he was looking straight through her.

“ _Bog_!”  She finally snapped, grabbing his face.  “Bog, what is the _matter_ with you?!”

“Ma-Marianne?”  He croaked.  “Is tha’ really you?”

She blinked at him in confusion.

“What do you mean?  Of _course_ it’s me!  I’m standing right in front of you!”

His expression melted from trepidation to sorrow and his ragged breaths increased in tempo.  For a minute, Marianne was struck with the shocking notion that he might actually burst into _tears_!

But she didn’t _dare_ try to lighten the mood by poking fun.  Instead, she wisely chose to soothingly brush his cheekbones with her thumbs and step closer to him. 

“Hey, hey, hey.”  She whispered, aching to calm him down.  “It’s alright, Bog.  You’re alright.”

Once he relaxed, even if it was only slightly, she pressed him again for answers.

“Bog, what’s _wrong_?  Please, _tell_ me.”

The pause that ensued seemed to go on for hours, until at _last_ , he replied in the weakest voice she’d ever heard him use. 

“I can’t see.”

“W-What?”

“I can’t _see_ , Marianne.  I’m _blind_.”   

           


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 100 hits, so here's my new story/chapter! I like this chapter significantly more than the first one. Hope it still pleases you all.

Marianne stared at Bog.  She’d _heard_ his words, but she couldn’t wrap her head around their weight.

He’d been _fine_ two minutes ago!  People just didn’t go blind for no reason!

At least…

… _fairies_ didn’t. 

“ _Blind_?” She parroted, winging up to his level and cupping his neck in her hands.  “What do you _mean_ , blind?  _How_ are you _suddenly_ blind?  Bog, what _happened_?!”

He started drawing in deeper breaths.  If only she knew how tremendously her honey and lilac scent was helping to soothe his nerves.    

“It’s the…the sun.”

“The _sun_?”

“The-the _light_.”  He clarified.  “It’s…too bright.  It causes…t-temporary blindness fer goblins.”

Marianne’s forehead lined with confusion.

“But Bog, we’ve gone out in the daylight hundreds of times!  And what about that… _that_ morning?” 

She didn’t need to specify for him _which_ morning she was referring to; when they’d floated together with their lips and souls connected before the witness of friends, family _and_ the _sunrise_.      

“Yes I know, but tha’ was only firs’-light, and there was still plenty ‘a trees an’ brush tah diffuse the glare.  We’ve never gone ou’ in the daytime _here_.  The only time ye’ve seen me come tah the Fairy Kingdom was a’ _night_ , remember?”

Remember?  How could she _ever_ forget the pyrotechnical theatrics of his smoky and threatening entrance and his strong, growly singing?

She examined his blue eyes and could _now_ note a new hint of pale cloudiness within the black pupils.  

“I’m mostly nocturnal.”  He went on.  “I’ve spent mah whole life in the Dark Forest.  I’m no’ used tah this much… _exposure_.”   

Marianne stroked Bog’s jaw as she watched him fall solemnly quiet.  She ruefully worried her bottom lip. 

“I’m sorry, Bog.”  She finally said in a low voice.  “I-I shouldn’t have-” 

“No, no, no.”  The king cut her off, clumsily placing a large hand on her waist.  “This is _my_ fault.  I shoulda told ye sooner.”

“Why _didn’t_ you?  Bog, you _know_ I _never_ would’ve tried to make you come here like this if I’d _known_.”

He bowed his head and his tone turned muted and contrite. 

“I…I dorn’t know.  I didn't want ye tah think I was...some sor’ a wee, weak thing, afraid o’ the sun.  And…I guess I jus’… go’ so used tah _you_ comin’ tah the Dark Forest, I assumed…ye _preferred_ tah jus’ spend time with me _there_.  Tha’ it was… _easier_.  I…I…didn't think ye’d…ye’d _want_ tah bring me tah… _yer_ home.”

…

…

…

…

* _BOFF_ *

“OW!”  Bog shouted, stumbling back and doubling over as something crashed into his front. 

His staff toppled over to the ground. 

“Wha’ the bloody hell was tha’?!  Did ye-?  Did ye just _punch_ me in the chest?!”

“No, I _kicked_ you in the chest!”

“Well _wha_ ’ did ye do _tha_ ’ for?!”

“Because you’re an _idiot_!”

“Wha’ par’ of, ‘I’m blind’, did ye no’ _understand_?!”

“I _understand_ that you’re an _idiot_!”

“I can't  _believe_ ye jus’ _hit_ me when I _literally_ couldn't see it comin’!” 

“SHUT _UP_ , BOG!” 

Her volume and her hot, angry breath on his face, made his jaw obediently snap closed.

“ _I_ can’t believe how you could be _such_ an _IDIOT_!”

He felt a small, blunt stab to his still tender sternum. 

She must’ve poked him.

“Let _me_ ask _you_ something!  What part of _I_ ,” *poke*, “ _love_ ,” *poke*, “and _you_ ,” *poke*, “do _you_ not understand?!  Do you _seriously_ think I only like you when we’re in _your_ element?!  What, did you think that if I ever just _happened_ to get you into the Fairy Kingdom I’d finally ‘ _come to my senses’_ , or something?  ‘Cuz I’d finally get a ‘ _good look_ ’ at you in the _light_?  After meeting that ass, Roland, _freakin’_ ROLAND, how could you _possibly_ think _I_ would _ever_ be that _shallow_?!”     

Bog curled into himself like a grass snake.  His unseeing eyes pinched with guilt.

“I…I’m _sorry_ , Marianne.  It’s jus’…jus’ tha’…sometimes this whole… _thing_ between us feels like…like a _dream_.  No one’s ever… _accepted_ me the way _you_ have.  I’m jus’ so… _afraid_ of…of doin' or…or sayin’ the wrong thing.  I dorn’t…I dorn’t know wha’ I’m _doin_ ’.”

“What makes you think _I’m_ such an expert?”  She asked in a much calmer voice.  “Don’t you think the same is true for _me_?  That _I’m_ just as worried about screwing things up?  That sometimes… _I’m_ afraid that _you’ll_ come to _your_ senses?”   

“I _already_ came tah mah senses.  When ye caugh’ yer sword withou’ lookin’.”

“So did I.  When you said I fought well.”

He smirked.

“For a _fairy._ ”

 _She_ smirked back.

“ _Still_ wish I could say the same for _you_.”

His soft chuckle morphed into a sigh.

“I’m an idiot.”

He heard her harsh exhale before he felt the brief, but unmistakable press and taste of her sweet mouth against his own. 

“We’re _both_ idiots.”  She amended, wrapping him in a warm hug.  “I’m _your_ idiot, and you’re _my_ idiot.”

“Works for me, but I think I’ll stick tah callin’ ye Tough Girl, if ye dorn’t mind.”

“Not at all.  Just no more secrets, okay?  I know we both still have our trust issues, but...we _have_ to work _together_ to get _past_ them...and I’m willing to do whatever it takes if _you_ are.”

“Wha' _eve_ r it takes.”  He promised, squeezing her tighter.  “No more secrets.”

“Good.”

The couple stood holding each other for several lengthy moments.  A few dragonflies flitted by and a chipmunk gazed curiously at them before snatching up an apparently _far_ more interesting acorn and scampering off.  

“How will you get your sight back?  Does it just wear off or…?”

“When we go back tah the Dark Forest, it should return tah normal in a’ hour or two.  The deeper the shadows, the less time it’ll take.”

“Ah, okay.”

“I’m sorry this ruined yer special plans for the day.”

“Hmm, I wouldn’t say they’ve been _ruined_.”  Marianne countered, as her eyes sparked with an idea.  “Just _altered_.  Come on!”

Abruptly, she stepped away from him and he immediately heard a short, metallic scraping noise.  She must’ve picked up his staff. 

“Where are w-we goin’ _now_?”  He asked, unable to keep from sounding slightly apprehensive.   

“I'm gonna show you how to turn that handicap into an advantage.”

“An _advantage_?!  He repeated in disbelief.  “ _How_?”

“Do you trust me?”

He blinked in surprise but squared his shoulders just as quickly.

“ _Yes_.” He replied firmly.  “Yes, I do.”

She presented her free left palm to him. 

“Then take my hand.”

She saw the flash of doubt in his features, not of _her_ , but of himself.  Regardless, she watched him raise his right arm slowly and carefully.

His long, clawed fingers stretched and shook as he felt through the space between them; unsure, but nonetheless successfully reaching in the direction her voice had come.

She didn’t move.  If she wanted her plan to work, she _had_ to let him do this on his own.

He ended up nearly scratching her nose and awkwardly bumping the underside of his his rough knuckles against her nails, but they grasped each other immediately afterward with a mutual laugh.

Securing her grip, she tugged him up into the air and began leading him away to a more secluded spot.         

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry but I just HAD to extend this into a three-parter! It was just one of those things where what I knew I wanted to happen was taking longer to explain than I thought and I didn't want the second chapter to be three times as long as the first, so there will be a third and final chapter to make things even.
> 
> Writing for these squabbling dorks is really fun!
> 
> 100 hits and I'll post another story!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 200 hits have been met, time for a new story/chapter! The final part of Take My Hand!
> 
> I know a lot of you were hoping this would be the next chapter to If Living Is Without You, that one's getting a BIG response. You guys just LOVE angst, don't ya? You'll have to be patient with me on that one, because now the expectations are so high, I want to make sure I have enough time to do it right.

Bog gripped Marianne’s hand tightly. 

The act of flying blind was making him _very_ nervous, as were all the unfamiliar sounds and scents of the Fairy Kingdom around him.  The unfiltered heat of the sun was suffocating and heavy.  The clear, floral air itched his nose and the vast open space he could sense around them did nothing to ease the tension in his back and shoulders. 

They were completely exposed.  There were no immediate places to hide and he wouldn’t be able to _see_ danger coming anyhow.   

It was a good thing that he trusted the fairy beside him as much as he did.  A fact that sometimes still amazed him, considering how many years he’d spent in the shadows, hating the love-filled world, compared to the precious few months he’d known her.

He was startled out of his thoughts when felt her begin to decelerate.

“This is a good spot.”  She gently pulled him along with her descent.  “We should have plenty of privacy here.”

He felt her wrap her arms around his torso to stabilize his landing and he forced himself not to growl when he wobbled for balance once his feet met the ground again. 

He wasn’t annoyed at _her_ , he just _loathed_ this feeling of complete helplessness.  It was _humiliating_ for a king to be so _weak_.     

“Here’s your staff.” 

The bottom of his hand brushed against her fingers as he felt the cool metal of his weapon press into his palm.  The sensation was rather comforting.

Until she drew away.

“Wait!”  He reached out in alarm and fumbled to seize what felt like her elbow.  “Wh-Where are ye _goin_ ’?”      

“I’m not going _anywhere_ , Bog, but if I’m going to help you, I can’t stay right next to you.”

She tried to tug her arm free.

“No!”  He begged.  “No, _dorn’t_!”    

In his condition, her presence was his _one_ guaranteed protection.  Her physical touch was a lifeline!  She was his only courage in this alien and _unseen_ realm.

Now, he was too _frightened_ to care about how pathetic he sounded and probably looked; pleading and clinging to her like a terrified child, instead of the resilient warrior he was. 

Sky have mercy, _what_ must she _think_ of him?      

He flinched when she unexpectedly cupped his cheeks and kissed his lips.

“It’s _okay_ , Bog.  I’m _not_ going to _leave_ you, I _promise_.  You believe me?”

He swallowed, but managed to nod and release her.

Her wings fluttered against him and she was gone.

Bog clutched his staff as the sound of silence grew thunderously louder by the second.  The shriek of birds, the whir of insect wings, the rattle of the foliage; it all beat at his ears like clubs.  The sporadic wind picked up and molested him from several angles, chilling his armored skin.  His heart stuttered and his chest burned.   

He was defenseless.

Tiny.

Naked.

He couldn’t _breathe_!

“Mari-Marianne?!”

“I’m right here, Bog.”

Only _she_ could stifle nature and soothe his racing pulse with _those_ four words.

“I’m going to show you a training technique I sometimes use to help me with my swordplay.”

“Trainin’ technique?”

“Uh-huh, the first thing I need you to do is close your eyes.”

“Close my-?  _Why_?  I’m already-!”

“I _know_ , but the fact that they’re _open_ means that you’re still _instinctually_ trying to rely on them.  This’ll make it easier, trust me.  Close them and _keep_ them closed.”

Not understanding the difference, but not wanting to irritate her, Bog hesitantly obeyed.

“Good.  Now when the body loses one of its senses, the remaining senses _amplify_ to make up for the loss.  So since you can’t _see_ , that means your sense of hearing, smell, touch and taste are working _harder_ to gauge your surroundings.  So what I want _you_ to do, is focus on what your _other_ senses are telling you.”       

“Telling me?”

“About where you are and what’s going on around you.”

Bog scraped his bottom lip under his teeth, already doubting his ability…but if Marianne used this method and claimed it worked, he had to at least _try_.

He took a deep, **_deep_** , _relaxing_ breath and gave his _other_ senses his full attention. 

It was strange and uncomfortable.  The sounds and scents were already disconcerting and they still seemed unnaturally loud and overwhelming.  He had no idea how anyone could be expected to distinguish _anything_ this way!

“Just stay calm and concentrate.”  Marianne encouraged.  “What do you hear?  Can you tell where it’s coming from?”

The most prominent sound was the birds.  Bog was far more used to the hoots and calls of the owls and loons of the Dark Forest, but…bit by bit, he began to recognize the whining squawk of the blue jay…the whistling song of the cardinal…and the piercing tweet of the finch…and several others.    

There was a bubbling underneath the bird cries.  A stream?

Something zipped by overhead.  The _buzzing_ was unmistakable; a _horsefly_!

Overlapping it all, was the quiet rustle of the grass and leaves dancing in the breeze.  

“I…I hear birds.  Most o’ them are…over there.”

He pointed off to the right. 

“I think…I think there’s a sparrow in a tree up ahead.  It sounds the closest.”

“Very good.  What else?”

“A horsefly passed us a moment ago.”

“It did.”

“Is there a…a stream somewhere behind me?”

“Yes, there is.  Just a few feet behind you.”

“Are there some bushes between me an' the stream?”

“Yep.  You’re doing _great_!  What do you _smell_?”

With a _lot_ more confidence than he’d had before, Bog slowly inhaled through his snipe nose, catching as many scents as he could and a peculiar kind of map formed in his mind.   

“I can smell…the water in the stream…there…there are _blueberries_ on the _bushes_ …there are some tulips an'…daisies in the grass nearby… an' I’m pickin' up the scent of… _ash_ trees.”

“Perfect!  We’re right _next_ to an ash grove.  See?  It’s not so bad, is it?  One more test.  Can you tell where _I_ am?”

Now that he thought about it, her voice had been coming from various directions throughout this entire exercise.  It was easy to pinpoint its origin now. 

“Yer directly above me.”

“Correct, but too simple.”

She was on the move again, her voice and the flap of her butterfly wings swirled past his frame. 

“Where am I _now_?”

Her voice came from the left, but the _whoosh_ he’d heard suggested she hadn’t stuck around.  There was no hiss of mounted plant stalks or muffled crunch of boots meeting dirt, so she must still be airborne.  If her wings were making any noise at all, she was doing a stellar job at masking it. 

He sniffed as he steadily turned his head to and fro until…

 _Honey and lilac!_    

Like a bolt of lightning, Bog’s hand shot out and grabbed Marianne’s ankle.  She giggled as he drew her down to his level.

“Go' you!”

“You _got_ me.”

Thrilling at her subtext and no longer afraid, Bog dropped his staff, framed her face in his hands and carefully guided her mouth to his. 

“Thank you.”

“No problem, we can practice it more in the Dark Forest.  Pretty soon we’ll _both_ be sparring blindfolded!”

Bog grunted in agreement, but was much more interested in nuzzling and caressing the clever fairy in his arms.  Though he would _always_ want to _see_ her, without the use of his vision, the warmth of her skin was _extra_ searing and its softness made him tremble with desire.  Without any distractions, he was practically drunk on her pure, delicious scent and he had never noticed before how she tasted like…plums and sweet chamomile tea!

He was _really_ starting to _like_ the idea of blindfolds!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think in with a kudos or in a comment either on here or my blog! I pretty much had this idea in my head ever since the first time I saw Marianne doing the whole Luke Skywalker 'use the Force' scene. Lol.
> 
> 200 hits and I'll post another story! This story was at 377 hits at the time of this chapter posting.

**Author's Note:**

> Yeeeeaaaaah, this isn't one of my best ones, but it's just an idea I've been tossing around in my head for a long time. Leave comments/kudos! I love getting feedback from my readers! 100 hits and I'll post another story!


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